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Expense reimbursement

A page within Business Services

Welcome to e-Reimbursement, a web-based system used to reimburse UW-La Crosse employees and non-employees for expenses incurred while traveling or conducting business for the University. All "paperwork" and approvals take place in e-Reimbursement through data entry, electronic attachments, and an automated workflow process.

You can access e-Reimbursement with your UWL NetID.

5 requirements when submitting a travel e-Reimbursement that must be documented or noted:

1. BUSINESS PURPOSE – Include an agenda, schedule of events or itinerary that includes dates, location, event name, etc.

2. REGISTRATION – Include copy of registration receipt. If there is no registration fee, add a note by clicking on the Justification tile to provide an explanation.

3. TRANSPORATION – Airfare, vehicle rental, mileage, train, etc.

  • All airline reservations for University-sponsored travel must be made through Travel Incorporated, either within the online self-booking tool, Concur, or with a Travel Incorporated agent. Fox World Travel is used for group travel.
  • Use of third party booking sites, such as Expedia, hotels.com, Airbnb, etc. are prohibited and will not be reimbursed.
  • Rental vehicles must be booked under the Big Ten Alliance Contract through Enterprise or National for authorized drivers age 18 and over. Authorized drivers 18-20 are restricted to domestic rentals only.
    • When Enterprise or National do not serve the location of travel or when vehicles are not available, Hertz, under the State of Wisconsin (WSCA) contract, may be used.
  • Rental vehicles are limited to compact/standard/intermediate vehicle classes.
  • A limited number of fleet vehicles are available for use through Facilities, Planning, & Management. For more information, please contact them at extension 8585.
  • If you rode with someone, please note the first and last name of the person by clicking on the Justification tile and adding the information.

4. LODGING – Hotel, camp site, etc. If you stayed with a friend, relative, or colleague, please add a note by clicking on the Justification tile to provide an explanation as to whom you stayed with.

  • Verify lodging maximum by utilizing the Lodging/Meal & Incidental Calculator on UWTravelWIse.
  • All non-conference lodging reservations, including local, are to be made through Concur.  Use of online brokers or search sites such as hotels.com, Airbnb, etc. are prohibited and will not be reimbursed by the University.
  • A conference or host site is defined as a lodging facility identified by the sponsor. A brochure, program, or registration information identifying the conference or host site must be included as an attachment within the e-Reimbursement report.
  • Certain hotels offer direct billing to UW-La Crosse. This list of these hotels can be viewed: La Crosse Area Hotels Offering Direct Billing.

 5. MEALS – Per diem allowance includes all meals (not already provided/paid for by your conference) and incidental expenses defined as: fees & tips for service staff, transportation between lodging and places where meals are taken, laundry/dry cleaning and bottled water (for international travel needs). Receipts are not required for meal and incidental per diem reimbursements.

Travelers are individuals seeking reimbursement for travel and business-related expenses.  Travelers can enter their own expenses in e-Reimbursement, or can assign an alternate to enter expenses on their behalf.  Whether expenses are entered by the traveler or an alternate, travelers must submit their own expense reports for approval.

Note: The term "Traveler" is used in e-Reimbursement to describe the claimant. e-Reimbursements can be used for expense reimbursements other than travel.

Alternates are individuals assigned to employee or non-employee profiles to enter expenses in e-Reimbursement. Alternates working on behalf of non-employees can enter and submit reports for approval; however, employees must submit their own reports.

Note: Prior to entry of an e-Reimbursement, alternates must be assigned for the following:

To review reports that you have created for yourself or on the behalf of others, refer to:

Approvers serve as the first few levels of approval in the automated workflow after an expense report has been submitted. Approvers are included in the workflow based on the individual traveling, as well as the funding source of the travel expenses. Approvers are responsible for ensuring full compliance with University of Wisconsin policy. Approvers should review and approve the appropriateness of the expenses, accuracy of the accounting, and adequacy of the documentation provided in support of the request.

  • Level 1 - Supervisor Approval- direct supervisor of traveler
  • Level 2 - Department Approval - WISDM manager of the funding account unless delegated by signature authority
  • Level 3 - Grant Approvalgrant approval for 133, 144, 233 funding sources

Resources for Approvers

e-Reimbursement Training and e-Reimbursement Assistance - Q&A

e-Reimbursement Training

e-Reimbursement Requests, Travel Authorizations, and Cash Advances are entered using the Shared Financial System, SFS, which is the financial database for the Universities of Wisconsin. At our training sessions, we walk through e-Reimbursement entry and approval, highlight travel policies, and provide answers to your questions.

Please click on the following link for the e-Reimbursement training power point presentation: e-Reimbursement training.

Please click on the following link for e-Reimbursement Tips and Reminders

Resources for travelers and approvers can be found on our Expense Reimbursement Procedures webpage.

To sign-up for a training session, please contact UW System Travel Office at uwstraveloffice@uwsa.edu. These training sessions are held for one hour.

e-Reimbursement Assistance – Q & A

To schedule an appointment, please email the UW System Travel Office at uwstraveloffice@uwsa.edu.

The following is not intended to be an all-inclusive list, but includes typical expenses that will not be paid or reimbursed by University funding sources:

  • Expenses which are not UW business related
  • Expenses not filed within the 90 day requirements
  • Expenses paid or reimbursed from outside sources
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Spouse, family member's or travel companion costs (Chancellor's and President's spouse/partner may be allowable under separate policy)
  • Any expenses incurred as a result of voluntary cancellation of travel reservations (air, car, hotel, etc.) or supplier accessed penalties unless formally justified as exception.
  • Domestic phone calls
  • Lost/stolen cash or personal property
  • Personal items and services, e.g., toiletries, luggage, clothes, haircuts, etc.
  • Expenses for social events or non-business related activities, such as sightseeing tours, sport outings, excursions, etc.
  • Passports
  • Traffic citations, parking tickets and other fines
  • Additional charges incurred for personal reasons involving vehicle rentals
  • Locksmith charges for personal vehicles
  • Repairs, towing service, lubricants, etc. for personal vehicles
  • Excess cost of circuitous or side trips for personal reasons
  • Parking costs at the assigned headquarters
  • Meals included in business meetings, conference registrations, etc.
  • Pay for view movies in hotel/motel rooms
  • Personal entertainment
  • Additional costs for extra person(s)
  • Charges incurred for late lodging checkout
  • Lodging costs incurred at unlicensed facilities
  • Lodging within 50 miles of the home or headquarters city
  • Flight insurance
  • Trip insurance
  • Extra baggage charges for personal items, such as golf clubs, skis, etc.
  • Airline, car, hotel, corporate club or other membership dues
  • Childcare costs
  • Kennel fees
  • Late payment penalties and interest on corporate card
  • Any incidental expenses included in the per diem
  • Tips for taxi, shuttle, or car service (i.e. Uber, Lyft etc.) in excess of 20% of the total fare
UW-La Crosse implemented an Employee Education Assistance Policy in December 2017.  Reimbursement is primarily governed by UW System Administrative Policy 210, Educational Assistance for Faculty & Staff. Also, there is a relevant policy, UWSA UPS Gen 23, Job-Related Coursework and Training.
 
Policy Highlights
  • Reimbursement is available to all Academic Staff and Faculty who hold appointments of half time or greater and University Staff employees who hold project appointments or appointments with an expectation of continued employment.
  • No more than one course, up to five (5) credits, or a training equivalent in any academic term (e.g., a semester, summer session or an equivalent) shall be reimbursed.
  • Reimbursements are available for job-related and for career-related courses.
  • Reimbursement may be subject to federal and state tax provisions.
For the full policy, please click on: Employee Education Assistance Policy
 
Reimbursement Procedures
The e-Reimbursement module will be utilized for reimbursement of approved educational assistance.
 
e-Reimbursement Report Entry
  1. Click on the Expenses tile
  2. Click on Create Expense Report tile
  3. Business Purpose: Professional Development
  4. Description: Employee Educational Assistance
  5. Default Location: Location of course
  6. Reference: NONTRAV (not a travel related report)
  7. Attachments: The following are required
    1. Approval letter from Human Resources
    2. Evidence of completion: grade awarded or completion certificate
    3. Paid Invoice or Billing Statement
  8. Click on Accounting Defaults and enter the funding string provided in the Human Resources Approval Letter:  Fund: XXX  Dept: XXXXXX  Prog: X
  9. Justification: Course Name, Course Number, Academic Semester, and Institution Name
  10. Click on Add Expense button
  11. Date: Enter the last course or payment date
  12. Select applicable Expense Type based on the definition:
    1. Tuition/Training-Career: a course or class from an accredited University or Technical College, etc. for the purpose of meeting the minimum educational requirements for a job or will qualify the employee for a new trade or business. May be tax reportable.
    2. Training/Dev-Job: costs related to job-related training not classified as tuition.
  13. Description: Course Name, Course Number, Academic Semester, and Institution Name
  14. Payment: Personal Funds
  15. Amount: Invoice or Billing Statement amount for the approved course not to exceed the Human Resources Approval Letter amount
  16. Non-Preferred Merchant: Name of Institution (e.g. UW-La Crosse)
  17. In the upper-right hand corner, click on one of the following
    1. Save:  This will save the report for later.
    2. Review and Submit: This will send the report through the approval workflow.
Submission Timeline
According to UW System Administrative Policy 405 Travel and Expense – General Travel & Expense Policy, tuition reimbursement must be submitted with the required supporting documentation within 90 days from the course end date or it will not be reimbursed by the University.
 
Please contact Spencer Green with any questions. Thank you.

If you need assistance, please email uwstraveloffice@uwsa.edu.